Article handling device



Feb. 22, 1944.

A. E. ORWELL 2,342,163 ARTICLE HANDLING DEVICE Filed Aug. 25, 1943 I I 2a I II I I' l 25 I I I I 24 P I I INVENTOR. 1 A5 ORWflL Patented Feb. 22, 1944 UNITED STATES A'E'NT OFFICE ARTICLE HANDLING DEVICE York 1 Application August 25, 1943, Serial No. 499,899

6 Claims.

This invention relates to article handling devices, and more particularly to devices for removing servings or the like from cords.

Often it is desirable to remove servings and/ or fillers from a cord or cable, or from a portion thereof. Heretofo-re. in performing this operation, an operator grasped one end of a serving or filler and revolved it about the cord. However, the unwinding of servings or fillers by hand is tedious and time-consuming.

An object of this invention is to provide new and improved devices for handling articles, and more particularly to provide new and improved fixtures for removing servings or the like from cords.

One device embodying the invention comprises a vertically disposed tube having a slot at the lower end thereof, a cup having an open funnelshaped bottom rotatably positioned about the tube, and a tube of larger diameter than the slotted tube positioned beneath the slotted tube at a distance sufficient to permit an operator to perform work upon a cord between the two tubes.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which the single figure is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a tube I firmly secured to the edge of a bench top H by a clamp I2 is provided with an elongated slot l3 formed in the front side of the bottom end thereof. A

funnel-shaped container M having an opening formed in the bottom thereof is rotatably supported upon the tube ill with the opening 15 concentric with the tube H). The container 14 has an upper thrust bearing l'l secured thereto and a lower thrust bearing H3 is secured to the tube iii, a ball bearing l9 positioned between the bearings I! and I8 insuring free rotation therebetween. A guard 2!! having an aperture 2| therein provides access to the interior of the container M, but prevents cords positioned in the container from being thrown out of the container as it rotates.

An enlarged tube 22 is secured in alignment with the tube It by a U-shaped arm 23 having a clamp 24 attached to the upper end thereof which firmly engages the tube IE! above the slot ii! to rigidly secure the arm to the tube. A second clamp 25 positioned on the lower portion of the arm 23 surrounds and frictionally engages the upper end of the tube 22 and thereby rigidly secures the tube to the arm 23.

In the operation of the above described device,

a cord-2 6 having a serving 27 thereon surround ing a core 22, which serving is to be unwound therefrom, is coiled and inserted through the aperture 2! into the container [4 and the lower end of the cord is guided through the tube Hi to a point just below the slot It. The serving 21 is then drawn through the slot l3 and is pulled by the operator to remove the serving. The tube 59 is of such a diameter as to permit the cord 26 to rotate freely therein, and by pulling the serving the cord 26 is rotated in the tube l0 and the serving withdrawn therefrom.

Since the lower portion of the cord 26 rotates, it causes the portion of the cord in the container l4 and the container to rotate therewith. Consequently, excessive twisting of the cord 26 is prevented by the rotation of the container [4 with respect to the tube 18. The guard 20 retains the cord 26 in the container it during the unwinding operation.

After the serving 21 has been removed from a sufiicient portion of the cord 26, which is drawn downwardly through the tube It) by the unwinding of the serving 2'! therefrom, the end of the freed core 28 is guided into the tube 20 and the core passes downwardly therethrough into a suitable receptacle as the remainder of the serving is unwound therefrom. The tube 20 prevents the core 28 from swinging from the rotation thereof and keeps the core out of the way of the operator during the unwinding operation.

The device embodying the invention described above prevents damage to the cord from the unwinding operation and greatly facilitates the unwinding of servings therefrom, especially in the unwinding of servings from cords of substantial length. It also prevents entanglements of the core by preventing swinging of the core from which the servings have been removed. Devices of the type described may be used to remove servings, fillers and the like from cords or cables with great rapidity and ease, and eliminate much of the time-consuming effort required to perform such operations by hand.

What is claimed is:

1. A fixture for removing servings or the like from cords and cables, which comprises a vertically disposed tube having a slot formed in the lower end thereof, a cup having an opening in the bottom thereof coaxial with the tube and rotatably mounted on said tube, and a core guide positioned below the tube in alignment therewith.

2. A fixture for removing servings or the like from cords and cables, which comprises a vertically disposed tube having a slot formed therein, and a container rotatably mounted with respect to the tube and having an opening in the bottom thereof concentric with the tube.

3. A fixture for removing servings or the like from cords and cables, which comprises an elongated vertically disposed tube having a slot formed in the lower end thereof, a container ro' tatably mounted with respect to said tube and having an opening in the bottom thereof concentric with the tube, and a guide positioned below said tube to prevent swinging of a core as a serving is withdrawn from the core at a point above the guide.

4. A fixture for removing servings or the like from cords and cables, which comprises an elongated vertically disposed tube having an openended slot formed at the lower end thereof for Withdrawing a serving from a cord drawn through the tube, and a funnel-shaped container having an opening formed therein positioned adjacent to said tube and rotatably mounted on the upper end of the tube for holding a coil of the cord.

5. A fixture for removing servings or the like from cords and cables, which comprises an elongated vertically disposed tube having an openended slot formed in the lower end thereof through which a serving may be withdrawn from a cord being drawn through the tube, a funnelsha-ped container rotatably mounted on the upper end of the tube for containing a supply of the cord and provided with an opening adjacent to the top of the tube through which the cord may be drawn into the tube, and a second tube secured concentric with and below the first mentioned tube for guiding the core portion of the cord during the unravelling operation.

6. A fixture for removing servings or the like from cords and cables, which comprises a vertically disposed elongated tube having an elongated slot extending longitudinally from one end of the tube toward the other end thereof a sufficient distance to permit a serving or the like to be inserted therein from the open end thereof, a funnel-shaped container having an opening in the bottom thereof, a guard secured to the top of the container and provided with an opening therein through which a coil of the cord or cable to be unwound may be inserted into the container, means to mount said container rotatably on said tube with the opening therein positioned adjacent to the tube, whereby the container may rotate freely to prevent excessive kinking of the cord or cable as the serving is withdrawn therefrom, a second tube, and a U-shaped clamp attached to the tubes to secure the second tube beneath the first-mentioned tube at a distance sufficient to permit an operator to perform work upon a cord between the two tubes.

ALBERT E. ORWELL. 

